I am proud to say I will be starting a FREE community yoga class at the Shabazz Academy April 14. (details to come soon)
This announcement brings me more joy than I ever anticipated. I found myself feeling chills as I sat at the school talking with Dr. Eugene Cain about putting this together.
Photos of Malcolm were everywhere along with artwork from the children. Then I heard every mentor’s voice in my life espousing the benefits of giving back to a community, the responsibility and the honor.
You see, this Lansing charter school is named after and is run in honor of the late Malcolm X, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. This is definitely a sign.
A photo at my office of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. To the right is a photo of my lamala, Dudjom Dorjee.
“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”– Malcolm X
Malcolm was a key figure in my upbringing. My mother loved Malcolm and made sure her children knew his story and appreciated his contribution toward the advancement of black people. And we didn’t have angry Malcolm pictures at the house. We had smiling Malcolm, a picture America really didn’t get to see a lot of until recently.
What better way for me to make a connection to my roots and my new community with my yoga than to do it at such a symbolic location? How can I not feel the hand of the Divine (or at least my mother, Arnita) nudging me in the direction I need to go?
When I got my first journalism job I called my mom all excited. That was May 19, 1992. The first thing she said was “and it’s Malcolm’s birthday!” No joke. This really happened.